Happy Pride weekend to all of those who are "on the other bus" (and to those who aren't quite sure)! I was lucky enough to celebrate Pride in San Francisco last year and experience the full extent of all the camaraderie and glitter at the Civic Centre.

There were sights I will probably never see again (and sights that I will never be able to unsee) and, despite standing in an impatient jostling crowd for three hours waiting for the Backstreet Boys to perform two and a half songs and then promptly bugger off, it was a great day all round.

Wynter Gordon recorded a track called Pride for the "It Gets Better" campaign in late 2010 which sounded like it could sneakily double as a rainbow festival anthem but ended up going slightly under the radar in the end. However, it appears that Iceland have decided to take matters into their own hands and have declared Hera Björk's Feel the Love Tonight to be the official Pride song of 2011. While not banging on about being born a certain way, it still contains much upliftance and captures the whole "put your hands in the air and wave 'em like you just don't care" sentiment perfectly. Hera treated New York to a performance on Saturday as part of her US tour and, in a case of striking while the iron is hot, Feel the Love Tonight is available right now worldwide on iTunes!

This week, a large number of homosexual men in America will spontaneously self-combust and it won't be due to over-indulging in a Thanksgiving feast of marshmallow topped mashed potatoes. Well, okay, a small percentage will perish at the hands of that particular culinary nightmare, but for others, the experience of seeing Cher, Cher's hairpieces and Christina Aguilera warbling onscreen like demented foghorns in Burlesque will prove too much of a gaiety overload.

I'm not sure that Burlesque is my own particular cup of tea. It looks rather like Cabaret meets Showgirls without the lure of having a former Saved By The Bell star thrusting their unmentionables at the camera. Then again, the prospect of Lark Voorhie's lady garden barely concealed by feathers is not going to propel me in the direction of a cinema any time soon. Crotch plumage aside, Burlesque boasts a soundtrack that includes eight new Xtina tracks and only two from the work-shy Cher who's releasing "You Haven't Seen The Last Of Me" as a single and an untruthful one at that, considering the last of Cher exited her actual body by way of a liposuction tube in around 1976.

Those who have been clutching their "Living Proof" albums for over ten years may be disappointed to discover that "You Haven't Seen The Last Of Me" is a blustery tear-drenched ballad in its original form but sensibly Cher's "people" realise that they'd have a riot on their hands if they didn't provide for Gays who like to snort poppers in time to her mournful roars. Hence, a remix package containing new versions by Almighty, Dave Aude and Stonebridge has been put together to appease such sorts (and me, of course).

I'm favouring the Almighty mix because... well, because of Almighty's track record with Cher songs. The music's no good without them (ahem). Take a listen below and enjoy the candied yams if you're that way "inclined".

Poor old Alex Gardner. He's got the looks of Leonardo Di Caprio in Growing Pains, the voice of Ben Vol-Au-Vent-Pierott crossed with a Dalek and he gets to work with Xenomania, yet no one seems interested in buying his singles.

I loved the brooding Cicero stylings of "I'm Not Mad" from earlier on this year and am quite taken with his latest release, "Feeling Fine" even if the video plot appear to have been lifted from loosely inspired by Emma Bunton's "What Took You So Long?".



Alex has released a six-track(?) EP in Italy(??) which can be purchased online at considerable expense. Sadly, the majority of the four new songs appear to be slightly dull "proper instrument" type things, including one that sounds a bit like an intoxicated Sting doing the Cure's "Love Cats". It is worth buying for curiosity's sake, though. And for the quite good "Heartbreak" which should be a third single if Alex isn't already mowing lawns for a living. Hoe-Ho(sniiiippppp).

Originally, I was hoping that the rather hurrah-worthy "One Shot" was going follow up "Missing You" as the new single from The Saturdays, but, as it happens, the even better "Higher" was selected instead.

As you can see, there has been no expense spared on the video with The Satz being jetted out to L.A. (man) to film a clip that's set on a busy New York(?) street. Standout moments include the girls lazing about on steps while some hired hands almost turn themselves inside out busting a so-called move and a subtle visual reminder that The Saturdays are really a modern day incarnation of The Beatles.

In addition, the part where the girls prance past a traffic-stalled bus never fails to raise a titter, but only because "Town Ride" means something quite different here. Feast your eyes on the shenanigans (in the 7th Heaven remix video edit) below:



There's another version of "Higher" doing the rounds, which features Argos catalogue rapper Flo Rida ruining replacing Una’s middle eight shriek with happenin' dope rhymes in an attempt to resonate with the American market, or some such nonsense. I think the song is fine as is, and besides, that sort of thing worked better in the olden days on numbers like these.

If you like the video, then a look at the behind-the-scenes segment is a must, mainly because it features Mollie being excited to be in the same place where Britney once stood, Mollie being frightened by the sight of an extra on set, Mollie pretending to be a New York native by hollering "Hey y’all!"(?) and Mollie almost replicating the carnage-ridden opening sequence of Final Destination 2 with the simple turn of an ignition key. She’s a delightfully "uncomplicated" lass is our Mollie, bless her.



"Higher" is out on October 31st by which time we’ll all probably be properly fed up with it (or enjoying a new Selena Gomez offering instead). Mark your official Saturdays calendars!

Some pop idols are complete pop idlers, choosing to release a total of one song per year and then "accidentally" falling out of their clothes for a further twelve months when paparazzi photographers just happen to be nearby. Which is all very well if you're Kaci Battaglia but in an ideal world, there needs to be a happy medium between frock-dropping and pop-rocking.

On the flip side of the coin, there are some acts whose musical output is so special, that a new single from them should only be a highly anticipated annual event like Christmas or a Vampire Diaries season premiere.

For me, Le Kid is one of these acts. They knocked out the charmingly perky "Mercy Mercy" in 2009 which came with a cheerleader style chant that’s just begging to be covered in an upcoming episode of Glee; We are the G, the L and the double E, the only thing your mama ever wanna see. See, it FITS!

Fast forward to 2010 and Le Kid’s new offering is called "We Should Go Home Together", a rousingly chorused ditty completely different to "Mercy Mercy" and yet completely brilliant at the same time. I'm not quite sure how to describe it, but imagine, if in 1987, Sinitta met Jane Wiedlin at Topshop whilst purchasing puffball skirts, went out for a few Babychams with her and then ended up at the PWL studios recording a slightly tipsy duet together, and you'll get the main idea.

The video is obviously bonkers with lifebuoy clad dancers, a Le Kid wearing accessories made out of Liquorice Allsorts (good) and another Le Kid looking a bit like Linda Martin with a lemon curd croissant perched on top of her head (not so good).



Quite infuriatingly, it seems that the only way of buying Le Kid's current and back catalogue is to arrange being born in Scandinavia, which may be a bit of a stretch for people who don't own a time machine. Alternatively, it's rumoured that 3Beat Records (who snapped up Agnes Carlsson and Alcazar) have licensed the group's songs, so look forward to wider availability and potential Cahill remixes in coming months!

Those slinky Sirens are back with a new single and a brand new image to boot. I can't imagine who could possibly have influenced the impractical eyewear and symmetrical shouldered frocks look. Judy Jetson breaking curfew at an after-hours nightclub, perhaps? Dame Edna: The Early Years, maybe? I'm afraid I've got literally no idea. It must be something Karina, Kat and Lynsey came up with all by themselves (ahem).

The song is called "Stilettos", an ode to that peculiar object of feminine mystique -- the high heel shoe. It's something that I've never really been able to get my head around. Especially since I've been in a situation which involved me being dragged around the shops for hours on end by a lady companion who cooed and simpered at every teetersome pair of Manolo Blahniks in sight and then complained about how the eventual impractical purchase was playing havoc with her bunions. In the end, I decided it would be wise to keep my mouth closed, nod sympathetically and agree that yes, there certainly was a nice comfortable pair of Winnie the Pooh shaped slippers waiting at home.

Here's the video, or more specifically, the Almighty remix video edit. It contains an unexpected RuPaul-style speaking bit that goes on about higher heels being closer to God, or something. Presumably to give fledging drag queens something to work out a pointy-fingered posturing routine to.



There you go, then. The best song about footwear since this one. Out on October the 4th or if you have itchy feet and can’t wait until then, head on over to Beatport.

Aw, Rob 'n' Gaz are back together ahead of the Take That reunion later this year, performing their greatest duet since "I Found Heaven".



Embedding disabled by so-called "request"! Watch here instead.

I’m guessing there's another ending involving strawberry jelly and a mop that will turn up on the extended director’s cut.

I generally like to keep an open mind when it comes to all genres of music but this shocking version of "Nothing's Gonna Stop Me Now" by Daniela Katzenberger has rendered me speechless.

Ms. Katzenberger appears to be famous in Germany for having no discernable talent whatsoever and, for some reason, decided it would be a bright idea to murder the seminal Samantha Fox classic. I don't think even Vampire Weekend could have made a more ham-fisted attempt at it.

Here's the video. Warning: It may be advisable to take out insurance on your ears before pressing "play". You'll probably have to watch it on YouTube as Daniela's record company are protecting themselves against potential lawsuits in case unsuspecting punters accidently click the link and die from the full horror.



The most distressing thing about the whole affair is the fact that Blank & Jones are behind this travesty. Yes, BLANK & JONES, inventors of top tunes like "DJ Culture" and "Beyond Time". It's enough to make a person want to commit hara-kiri.

Whatever happened to the days when a lady with fake tits and aspirations of being a singer would release something brilliant?



If anyone knows Katie Price, could they please suggest this as her second single? On second thoughts, perhaps not.

I LOVE this mash-up of Madonna's "Holiday" over Kylie's "What Kind of Fool" by DJ MichaelAngelo who has been responsible for some other very clever mixes in the past (including combining Christina Aguilera's "Ain't No Other Man" with Company B's "Fascinated").



Speaking of Kylie, her record company finally yielded to fans who demanded that full-on pop remixes of her new single "Get Outta My Way" be included alongside the dull trendy ones. As a result, we're getting two(!) Bimbo Jones mixes and this decidedly sparkly one, courtesy of 7th Heaven.



I’m a big fan of the song but (whisper) can’t help feeling that it would be met with a large amount of public indifference had it been released by Lisa Scott-Lee instead. Poor LSL. It’s an unfair world, really. :(

Summer may have fled (for us, anyway) but The Grand Dame of Discotheque, Donna Summer has been making hay while the sun shines because she's back with a new single and two(!) forthcoming albums.

"To Paris With Love" is not, as you might suspect, a lesbionic ode to everyone's favourite hotel heiress socialite but, according to Donna, a tribute to the glamour and allure of the capital of France.

I want people to feel transported, whether they're listening on the dance floors of Ibiza or on their headphones at work. The idea is to let them escape into that magic world, she wibbles.



It's a pleasant enough ditty alright but sounds more like a tribute to the glamour and allure of a damp tissue, if we're being completely honest. It also sounds like Donna trilled her vocals down a phone suffering from terrible AT&T coverage.

However, all is not lost as WaWa have turned the track from a meandering Sunday drive into something a bit funkier altogether with lots of blippy parts and stuttered vox. Have a listen:



100 times more amazinger!

Sometimes I wish Donna would remember that she can still belt out good old disco stormers instead of feeling the pressure to fit into a contemporary market. Remember when she got a touch of the Chers and released this ludicrous version of "Time to Say Goodbye"?



Now that's what she should be doing.